Mt. Washington

Mt. Washington had generated a lot of buzz since the beginning of the trail (way back in April/May) due to the fact that it is unofficially the second highest mountain on the trail. Second only to Clingman's Dome back in Tennessee. It felt like some sort of rite of passage to step over and past the summit of that great mountain. A day or two later we were looking back at Mt. Washington from the Wildcat Peaks (across the valley). It was so strange to look backward at the granite pinnacle. We had been talking and thinking about it for so long and now the challenge of it was gone. The mountain had been climbed. We stared at it for a long time not really knowing how to feel. The pictures turned out great, though.

There were easier ways to get up and down Mt. Washington. The "Cog Railway" pulled one boxcar at a time up the steep winding tracks that led to the top. I was kind of glad I was in control of my own transportation up and down that mountain. It looked kind of scary.